The family of an academically gifted young man from Raub, Pahang, were left to pick up the broken pieces after he leaped off the Penang Bridge on Sunday (Apr 6).
To add on further to the tragedy, his father revealed details of a particular conversation which he believed might have driven him to end his life.
23yo M’sian man jumps off Penang Bridge, body found 5 hours later
According to a report by Sin Chew Daily, rescuers received a report of the 23-year-old plunging into the sea at KM5.4 of the Penang Bridge heading towards the mainland at 6am.
When they arrived at the scene, they found a parked car beside the bridge but not the driver.
Tragically, they eventually found the body five hours later, where the victim was identified as Jiang Haorong (transliteration).
His family were later informed of the tragedy by police on the same morning it took place.
Had expressed worries about internship
Jiang’s father, Jiang Shiquan (transliteration), later spoke to the Chinese daily and shared how his son was an academically gifted student, where he scored with flying colours for his STPM and was studying Electronic Engineering at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
He also added that Jiang was usually a cheerful and talkative person who showed no signs of wanting to end his life prematurely.
However, Jiang’s father brought up a particular conversation which signaled what was to come when he and the victim were out for breakfast.
He confided in me that when he applied for internships online, all the companies required extracurricular involvement. He was worried as he hadn’t participated in any and feared it would prevent him from getting an internship, which in turn would delay his graduation.
“I tried comforting him by saying if he couldn’t get an internship, he could always join me in the durian business, which had a promising future. However, he fell silent at my answer,” he recalled.
Jiang’s father added he believed that was the moment his son decided to walk down the path of no return and leap off the Penang Bridge.
Paid last respects at Penang Bridge
At 9.30am yesterday (Apr 7), Jiang’s family gathered at the Penang Bridge to conduct a soul-calling ritual in a final attempt to reconnect with him.
A prayer ceremony is scheduled to be held today before the funeral and cremation tomorrow (Apr 9).
If you or anyone is experiencing depression and needs a listening ear, please call the following helplines:
Befrienders KL
Contact: 03-76272929
Operating hours: 24/7
Befrienders Penang
Contact: 04-2910 100
Operating hours: 3pm- 12am daily
SNEHAM Malaysia
Contact: 1800 225757
Operating hours: 4 pm-8 pm daily
LifeLine Malaysia
Counselling Helpline: 03-4265 7995
Monday To Friday 9.30am – 10.30 pm, Saturday 2.30 pm – 5.30 pm
Late-Night Helpline: 011-5779 5803, 011-5779 5813
Friday & Saturday 10.30pm – 1.30am
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